1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to devices for loading items of mail, such as envelopes, with bills and informational inserts, marking certain of the envelopes in accordance with predetermined criteria, and segregating marked and associated envelopes into like groups in preparation for subsequent mail processing and delivery. More specifically, the invention pertains to an apparatus which employs a computer controlled optical scanning station, adapted to determine whether a particular marking or indicia is present on a sheet of paper such as an address panel. If the scanning station does detect such indicia, a marking station is subsequently actuated to mark a peripheral external edge portion of an envelope containing the address panel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The processing of bulk mail containing items such as utility bills, advertisements, and the like, poses unique problems both for the mailing company and for the postal system. The postal system provides lower postal rates to mailing companies which organize the mail envelopes into physically segregated bundles or stacks corresponding to particular zip codes or postal delivery routes. These lower rates are very advantageous when thousands of pieces of mail are sent per month. The problem posed to the mailing companies is how to recognize zip code or routing "breaks" which occur when a new piece of mail is printed with a different zip code or corresponds to a different postal route than that of the previous piece of mail. When thousands of envelopes are processed a day, identifying the beginning of a new "break" is both tedious and time consuming.
Typically, bulk mailings are made using an envelope which include a transparent window on the front panel of the envelope. An address panel, or sheet is inserted into the envelope so that printed information on the address panel can be read through the transparent window. This information typically includes the name, address, and zip code of the customer or addressee, and may also be printed with billing information and other customer data. Other sheets of paper, known as inserts, may accompany the address panel in the envelope. The inserts usually pertain to an offer or a solicitation to the customer, to purchase other goods or services. An apparatus known as an inserting machine receives a previously printed address panel which is oriented facing downwardly. Then, the inserting machine stacks the appropriate kind and number of inserts over the backside of the address panel. The assembled panel and insert stack are then inserted into an envelope, and the envelope is thereafter sealed.
Sealed envelopes are transported to a tray, where they are arranged in faced relation with their lateral edges upstanding. At this juncture, an inserting machine operator manually searches through the envelopes, determining first where the zip code or route breaks exist, and then physically segregating the stack of like envelopes from the next group. To facilitate the visual recognition process, the industry has developed various means for edge marking certain envelopes which correspond to the occurrence of a zip code or tray break.
One type of marking system is known as an integrated envelope insertion system. In an integrated system, all of the components necessary to print, collate, and insert items into an envelope are located at a single site, and all of the components are physically and functionally integrated to work together. These components would typically include a paper handling cutter or a sheet feeder, and a document collator, all located adjacent and immediately upstream from the inserting machine. Owing to the number of machines whose operation must be coordinated and timed to function together, integrated systems require the use of sophisticated computers, to keep track of each and every document as it travels through the material handing apparatus.
The integrated marking system has a number of significant drawbacks. Integrated systems are inherently expensive, because the control computer must have large and fast processing capabilities. The control computer must synchronize the operation of each of the different components, and maintain all of the data relating to each item of mail as it passes through the system. Integrated systems also lack flexibility, as the components will only work together as a system. Smaller companies cannot easily upgrade their existing stand-alone components, as they are not compatible with those of the integrated system. Integrated systems also mandate that all material processing steps be undertaken and completed at a single location. This may not be desirable for a company which specializes, for example, in providing envelope inserting services only, or which desires to locate certain mail handling and processing components at different sites or in different buildings.
In a non-integrated system, the address panels and the billing documents may be generated at a remote location, and later transported to an inserting machine site. At the site, address panels and any associated billing documents are stack loaded into a hopper of the inserting machine. Then, an address panel and the billing documents are collated with advertising inserts targeted for that particular customer, and loaded into an individual envelope. A non-integrated system does not require a computer control system, as the document generation and envelope loading processes are broken up into two distinct operations, which have no temporal or physical relationship. Because of their simplicity, non-integrated systems are more reliable, and easier to set up for different inserting operations, than integrated systems.
Prior art marking devices employ a number of different indicia detection systems, including bar code readers, Optical Mark Recognition ("OMR"), and Optical Character Recognition ("OCR"). Each of these indicia detection systems has its own unique advantages and disadvantages.
For example, the bar code system requires a special printer, to mark the address panel. Also, the bar code printing must be of sufficient size and positioned within a predictable viewing location, so that reliable readings may be made. The bar code system is also disfavored for letter marking purposes because the bar code marking is considered unsightly by consumers.
OMR systems use a single sensor that simply reads the presence or absence of a mark appearing in a predetermined location. Because of variances in the reflectivity of the sheet material, extraneous readings from ambient light, and imprecise location of the mark or the sheet when the reading is made, the OMR systems tend to be unreliable in practical applications.
OCR technology is more sophisticated and reliable than OMR technology, but it is also considerably more expensive to implement. OCR systems are designed to recognize a particular character, or a group of characters, having a specific shape or configuration. Because OCR systems must be programmed to make such recognitions, each change in the indicia or characters requires reprogramming, and down time in the operation of the machine. Thus, the OCR system is less flexible in circumstances where the different mail inserting jobs to be completed have different characters, requiring time consuming reprogramming for each job setup.
As a consequence, none of the prior art systems is easily adaptable to new or changed circumstances in the operational parameters for indicia recognition. For example, if the physical location of the indicia on the address panel is changed, the physical location of the detector will have to be moved, calibrated, and tested. This is time consuming and very inefficient, particularly where indicia changes are made often. If the size or configuration of the indica is changed, the prior art systems may not be adaptable to recognize the new indicia, in all circumstances. Also, the OCR system will only recognize new characters if it has appropriately been programmed, and if the characters are such that they can reliably be differentiated from other similar appearing characters. And, the bar code system requires bar code markings which must be fairly large in size for reliable operation, so reduction in indicia size particularly for this system, has a practical limit.